Something in Common
by Arianna Ddraig
Summary: Harry and Draco both end up at Hogwarts during the summer and while there discover that they may have more in common than they thought. Warning: Contains Slash nothing explicit rated M to be cautious
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Harry Potter or any of the characters or places or anything associated with it I would be perched atop a pile of money with a sparkly tiara on my head singing the "I own the Harry Potter empire" song, but I don't, so I'm not. Oh well.

**Warning:** Will contain slash ie male/male relationship, so if you don't like, don't read. I will not include anything explicit (will employ the "fade out" technique) but there will most probably be kissing and lots of it.

Chapter 1

Harry was sat in his uncle's car on the way back to the Dursleys. Sirius' death of a few weeks ago still weighed heavily on his mind and he was not looking forward to a summer with his muggle "family". If they could even be called that. "Boy!" Harry started; his rotund uncle had obviously been trying to get his attention for a while. His face was red and was gradually deepening in colour every second Harry did not respond. "Stop day dreaming and get that case into the house now. We don't need the neighbours to be reminded of your abnormality and to start asking questions."

Harry scrambled from the car, eyes lowered to stop his uncle from seeing the poorly disguised hatred that flashed in their emerald depths. He retrieved his trunk and Hedwigs empty cage from the boot of the car. His uncle had refused to have "that ruddy bird" near his car and so Hedwig had travelled to The Burrow with Ron. He had been a wizard for 5 years now and yet he still had to obey this man. He dragged his trunk up to his room angrily and dumped it unceremoniously on the floor by his bed. Vernon's voice came from below him "Boy!" Keep it quiet or there'll be trouble!" Harry growled his frustration and threw himself face down on his small bed.

Strangely Draco Malfoy was doing exactly the same thing miles away in his family's manor house. Though the action was the same that was the extent of the similarity. Draco had a large, sumptuous, king-sized bed. As he threw himself down the soft mattress moulded itself to his lithe body and held him comfortable in its embrace.

He had been disappointed that his mother had not come to meet him from the train but he had understood. She was still very upset about Lucius. What he didn't understand was why she had just sent a servant to apparate him back to the manor. She knew how much he hated apparating and had never made him do it from the platform before. It had left him uncertain about things. Had he underestimated how miserable she was? How serious the situation really was?

He had returned to the manor, expecting to see her then, but again he had been let down. The butler had informed him that his mother bid him welcome and hoped the trip had been enjoyable but she would not be joining him for dinner tonight and would prefer to be left to her own counsel for the foreseeable future. Draco had swallowed his emotions and had retired to his rooms.

He lay staring at the canopy of his bed. Silent tears trickled down his cheeks and he wiped them away angrily. He was a Malfoy and he would not show weakness like this. All week he had only had contact with the servants of the manor. He had yet to see his mother and he had to admit, if only to himself, that it was tearing him up. He had never been close to Lucius, of course he had admired him, feared him but he had never called him father and they had never embraced. Lucius had never shown him any affection and he had never shown any back. His mother was the one who showed him love, who comforted him when he was scared, held him while he cried and listened to him when he had a problem. She was his real parent. He knew Lucius and her had argued about the different approaches they had to parenting. He had heard them arguing at night. There was a passage behind the tapestry in his room that led directly to his mother's room that he used to go see her when Lucius was trying to stop her from seeing Draco. As far as he knew, no one else even knew about the passage. Strangely, it was then, as he was thinking about it, that there sounded a knock from said passage.

Harry stared out at the night. Stars dotted the sky, millions of them vying for attention but Harry was only looking at one. He smiled sadly. The brightest star in the sky, that fitted Sirius perfectly. He gazed up at the star thinking of all the times he had spent with his godfather. There were hardly any. Harry's most fervent wish was that he could have spent more time with his godfather. Listened to stories about his parents late at night, sat with Lupin and Sirius as they recalled old escapades as the marauders and just talked with Sirius about everyday life, normal things. Harry sighed and was about to close the window before he noticed something moving in the night sky. An owl. He beamed, it was Hedwig. He stepped back from the window to allow her to swoop into the room. She circled it twice before landing on his shoulder hooting softly. He petted her head and she nipped his finger affectionately. He filled her water bowl and she perched in her cage with the door open. He sat on his bed to open the letter she had brought him. He frowned, it was not from Ron as he had expected. His name on the front was written in cursive lettering and in green ink. He tore it open. As he began reading the short note he frowned harder, why would Dumbledore be writing to him hardly two weeks into the school holidays?

Harry, 

_While I stand by what I said at the end of last term I fear that things have changed and so I must request your presence at Hogwarts as soon as possible. I will give you time to pack your things, and will send someone to collect you within the day. Please explain to your relatives, although I am sending them a letter separately by muggle post that explains everything. Be sure to take all your belongings, as I doubt that you will be returning to your relatives any time soon, if at all._

_Yours sincerely_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry's heart was pounding. Never return to the Dursleys? He felt a smile spread across his face. Spending the summer at Hogwarts would be perfect, sure Ron and Hermione wouldn't be around but neither would anyone else. He could explore the castle properly. Find some of the passages on the map that he had never used before. Find which were blocked and which could still be used. Suddenly his smile faltered. Why was Dumbledore asking him to come to Hogwarts when he had said he had to go back to the Dursleys every year? Something serious must have happened. His frown deepened. He couldn't stay at Hogwarts for the rest of his life, where would he live? Grimmauld Place. Sirius would have left it to either him or the Order possibly. He was sure he would be able to stay there but he didn't know if he could. It would be filled with thoughts of Sirius. He glanced out of the window at the bright star. Sirius would want him to live there. He was sure. Hedwig hooted, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He read the letter again quickly. Someone was coming at some point tonight or tomorrow. He began to pack his things, all the questions he would need to ask Dumbledore flickered through his mind but he pushed them away till he could come face to face with the man himself.

With his things packed and letter clutched in his hand he started downstairs to inform the Dursleys. He entered the lounge and waited for either his aunt or uncle to notice him. He coughed and both turned to him, eyes narrowed. It was his uncle who spoke, "What do you want?"

Harry ignored him and handed the letter to his aunt. Dumbledore had said it was her blood that was keeping him safe and she appeared to have spoken with Dumbledore so he decided that she should be the one he told. Petunia looked started at being the one engaged by Harry, his uncle Vernon just turned red at being ignored. Petunia's pale eyes read the letter and a fierce little smile spread across her thin lips. She passed it to Vernon and as he read the letter she studied Harry. He was confused she had never paid him any attention before. Suddenly Harry grasped her reason. As much as she may hate him and "his kind" he was the only link to her late sister. She had proclaimed to hate her sister but still deep down she must have had some kind of affection for her. Now, with Harry leaving, most probably forever, she was recognising her sister in him. She gave him a barely perceptible nod that Harry took as the closest he was going to get to a goodbye from any of the Dursleys.

Vernon was beaming as he looked up. He had not noticed the small exchange of understanding that passed between his wife and nephew. "So boy! We're finally getting rid of you! Well I can't say it's come too soon, eh Petunia?" He laughed as his wife smiled at him. Harry privately agreed with the statement but didn't say anything out loud. "My things are packed. I just have to wait for someone to arrive to get me."

He turned to leave, not intending to leave his room till someone arrived. "Just you wait there, boy!" Harry turned and waited for his uncle to continue. An evil smile graced his uncle's face, "Aren't you going to thank your aunt and I for graciously allowing you into our home? Fifteen years is a long time to have to put up with you." Defiance and hatred flashed in Harry's eyes but he turned to his Aunt, ignoring his uncle for the second time in as many minutes. He felt he owed nothing to either of them really, but for appearance sake he would thank his aunt. Not his uncle though. Never him. "Thanks." With that he picked up his letter turned and walked out of the room without looking back.

Harry had been sat on his bed for two hours when he heard a sharp knock on the front door. He ran to open it but the Dursleys got there first. Nymphadora Tonks stood on the front doorstep; she was looking uncertainly at the Dursleys. Harry suppressed a smile at his Aunt who was staring horrified at Tonks' hair, which was a vivid purple. His uncle was trying to decide whether it would be worse to have the purple haired witch in the house or outside where the neighbours could see, Harry could practically see the war that was going on in his uncles head. He laughed out loud and all three adults looked up at him. Tonks smiled and made the decision for Vernon, she stepped inside with a bright "Wotcha Harry!" Uncle Vernon closed the door behind her hurriedly. Harry smiled back and bounded down the stairs to greet the young witch as she manoeuvred her way past the silent Dursleys. "Heya Tonks." She pulled him into a quick hug and then slung her arm over his shoulders. "Where's you trunk then?" Harry led Tonks upstairs while Petunia stared and Vernon became the same shade of purple as Tonks' hair. Glancing back the witch noticed this and her hair quickly bled to a bright bubblegum pink. At the strangled sound from behind, Harry glanced over at Tonks and grinned.

He picked up Hedwig and walked to the window, flinging it wide open. He turned to Tonks who was gazing around his room, "Are we going straight to Hogwarts?" She nodded and produced a lime green Frisbee from somewhere with a grin "Hogwarts via portkey. One way."

Harry nodded with a smile and turned back to the window. "Go on to Hogwarts, Ok?" He stroked the owl's head as she hooted her understanding before taking flight and disappearing into the night. He turned back to Tonks who had grabbed hold of his trunk. "I hadn't expected anyone so soon." She shrugged a shoulder, "We guessed you'd want to get away as soon as possible and I had nothing else to do…" She shrugged again and smiled, "You should tell them," she jerked her head at the door, "that you're going now."

Harry nodded and went to the top of the stairs. "I'm going. Bye." There was a muffled " About time." From his Uncle but nothing from his aunt. He hadn't expected much and he walked back to Tonks. He grabbed Hedwig's cage as Tonks muttered _portus _over the Frisbee. "Grab hold Harry." She said. He did and took a last cursory glance around his room before he felt the familiar tug behind his navel and he left Privet Drive forever.

Tonks walked him to the Gryffindor common room before leaving him with a smile and a "See ya, Harry!" He waved as she walked away and entered the common room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note : **Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter, as this is the first fic I've posted the positive response was really great. So thank you!

**Disclaimer:** Again I dont own the characters or the places or the terms etc. This also applies to any other chapters I may post in the future.

**Warning:** Will contain slash ie male/male relationship, so if you don't like, don't read. I will not include anything explicit but there will most probably be kissing and lots of it.

Chapter 2

The next morning Harry woke up and rubbed his eyes. He fumbled for his glasses and put them on, looking at the clock he saw he was late. If he were going to get breakfast in the great hall he would have to hurry. He swiftly pulled on his jeans and a tee shirt. He had bought some new tee shirts in the first week of summer, some which actually fitted him and didn't billow out like tents. This one was a deep forest green. He sped down the stairs of the boys' dormitory and nearly collided with a table in the middle of the common room. It was covered in food and there was one place setting with a letter sitting on the plate. Hedwig sat on the back of a nearby chair; he picked up a piece of bacon from the plate and walked over to her. He stroked her head as he fed her the bacon, "Did you bring that letter girl?" She hooted assent and ate the bacon in two bites. Harry sat at the place set out; it made sense, why would the house elves set out the great hall for only one person? He opened the letter,

_Harry,_

_I regret to inform you that I have been called away to the ministry. I shall be back soon however and I must ask for your patience in discussing the matter that I called you to Hogwarts for._

_Apologies,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry sighed, but he set the letter aside and began to eat. So his curiosity would have to wait, but his exploring could be brought forward. Hedwig flew over and landed on his shoulder knocking his glasses into his pumpkin juice. He let out a shout and Hedwig fluttered off hooting reproachfully at his rudeness. Harry glared at her and she flew out of the window, presumably to the owlery. He picked up his glasses and shook them trying to dry them as much as possible. They were always in the way, always falling off or getting broken. A thought struck him; maybe there was a magical way to help his vision. He sat back down to finish breakfast quickly before heading to the library.

He didn't see anyone on the way to the library and it made him suspect that he was indeed the only person resident in the whole castle. He opened the door to the library and went straight to the medical section. He scanned the titles till he saw one that looked useful, _a practical guide for improving the senses by Valeria Cobbles. _Harry took the blue bound book down from its shelf and opened to the contents page where, as he suspected, the book was organised into six chapters each concerning a different sense. He turned to chapter 4; sight. The charm seemed simple enough. He practised it quietly to himself "Clarus Observo". The book said it should bring about clear vision for six months. He would have to repeat it every six months but Harry shrugged. He could find something more permanent at a later date. He placed the book back on the shelf and levelled his wand at his eyes. He swallowed. This wasn't the most sensible thing he had ever done but if it worked…well it was worth the risk. He forced himself to keep his eyes open and staring at the wand. "Clarus Observo!" Yellow sparks shot out of his wand towards his eyes he blinked but forced his eyes to stay open. Everything went fuzzy. For an awful moment Harry thought he'd done something wrong, but then he realised. He still had his glasses on. He removed them and the world came into focus. He let out a whoop of joy and was beaming like an idiot when he heard a small cough at the end of the shelves. He spun around to face none other than Draco Malfoy.

Draco had heard someone casting a spell in the depths of the bookcases and had got up to investigate. He had been reading quietly in the library like he had been doing for the last two days. He wasn't aware of anyone else's presence in the castle but Dumbledore and McGonagall. He had rounded the corner of one of the stacks to find the most unlikely person. Potter. He was celebrating something, presumably the success of the spell he had previously heard, Draco coughed quietly and Potter spun around. Draco was about to come out with a scathing remark but words got stuck in his throat. Potter didn't have his glasses on and for the first time ever Draco could see his eyes clearly. They were a rich emerald green that seemed to be made darker by the green of Potter's tee shirt. He realised he was staring like a love-struck first year and he looked away. He fixed a smirk on his face before turning back to Potter's hissed address, "Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

The arrogance on his face didn't reach his voice, he was too tired of disguising what he felt all the time, "Isn't it obvious Potter? I've joined the light side." The green eyed boy narrowed his newly despectacled eyes. He was obviously suspicious; Draco didn't really blame him. After all he had spent the last five years making Harry's life a misery, and his father was a convicted death eater. What reason would Potter have to believe him. He sighed and dropped all pretence of arrogance. "Look Potter, I really don't care what you think anyway. You can believe me or not but it will still be the truth." He turned and walked back to his table feeling drained. They hadn't even properly fought like they usually did and yet he felt so exhausted by it all. He was staring at his book not really reading it when he felt Potter sit opposite him. He looked up to meet Potter's vivid green eyes with his own misty silver ones. Though Potter still looked distrustful he wasn't openly hostile and there was something in his eyes that Draco couldn't quite work out. "What happened?" Draco was surprised at the insightfulness of this statement, he had always thought of Potter as quite slow on the uptake, but he had grasped very quickly that something drastic must have occurred for such a change to come about in his enemy. Draco opened his mouth to tell Potter that it wasn't any of his business but the words caught in his throat as he remembered the night it had been decided.

_Flashback_

As far as he knew, no one else even knew about the passage. Strangely, it was then, as he was thinking about it, that there sounded a knock from said passage. Draco stood up and walked to the tapestry pulling its heavy folds to the side and touching the stone that opened the door to the passage. Narcissa Malfoy, his mother, stood in the doorway. But this was not the Narcissa Malfoy that the world saw, proud on the arm of Lucius Malfoy, defending her sister Bellatrix to all comers. This was a broken woman. Her usually elaborate hair hung untended down her back, no longer shining silver but a dirty blonde. Her once supple alabaster skin was drawn tightly over her skull, as is there was no flesh beneath it. All this upset Draco more than he would admit but it was the change in her eyes that brought tears to his. Draco remembered her eyes as clear pools of bright cornflower blue, sparkling with energy. Now they were dull and sunken into her skull, dead eyes. When she saw her son they regained some of their life but Draco doubted she would ever regain the vitality she had once had. A strangled sob escaped her lips and she almost collapsed into her son's arms. They both sat on the floor crying silently, sharing the grief of loss, her of her husband and him of his mother. Eventually the sobbing subsided and Draco sat her on his bed and went to the dresser for a hairbrush. He had always loved brushing her hair especially as a child. It relaxed both of them and allowed time for them to talk. He sat behind her cross-legged and began to brush out the tangles in her hair. He broke the silence first.

"I've missed you mother. Missed us talking. I understand you need to be on your own. But I'm glad you've come to see me finally."

He had got one section of her hair tangle free and moved onto the next. His mother stayed silent and he sighed, mourning the loss of her conversations. Suddenly she spoke

"Draco," her voice was hoarse from not being used, not the sweet musical voice that used to sing to him when he had childhood nightmares, "I've decided something. I don't know if you're going to like it very much but I want you to do it anyway. For me." Draco paused, brush frozen in his hand, he felt a sense of dread creep its way up his spine. If she asked him to join the death eaters he was going to have to refuse. He stated brushing the second half of her hair.

"I'll do anything for you mother, you know that." He sensed her hesitation, "Go on. Tell me."

"I'm going to loose you Draco. Whatever happens I'm going to loose you. This way I know you'll be safe and that will be enough for me." She paused and Draco finished brushing her hair in silence, not wanting to push the already fragile woman. He set down the brush when he had finished and moved round to kneel in front of her. Silent tears were running down her cheeks and she wiped them away when she realised he could see them. Her eyes gazed at his face, almost as if she was trying to memorise every feature. He sent her a puzzled look and she smiled sadly and cupped his face with her delicate hand.

"Draco I don't want you to die. I want you to live on. I don't want you to follow the Dark Lord." Draco could hardly keep the surprise from his face but his mother continued. "There's no way he'll let you go of your own free will though." She took a shaky breath as if steadying herself, "So I'm going to disown you as my son." Tears sprang to her eyes as Draco knelt dumbfounded. "I'll say you refused to join the death eaters and so I disowned you. That way you can go to Dumbledore and Harry Potter. The Dark Lord will not be able to touch you then." Draco looked stricken.

"Mother, what about you? If I can run to the light why can't you?"

She shook her head; "He will see me dead before I could go to the light. You along with me. I cannot bear to think of you dead in this war. Your father is in Askaban. I do not want that to happen to my precious boy."

Tears were running down Draco's cheeks now, "Harry Potter hates me, he will not accept me." But even as he said it he knew it wasn't true, Dumbledore would accept him and though Potter and his friends might distrust him at first he would be able to prove himself to them, he was just grasping at any reason he could find to stop himself from agreeing to leave his mother.

Narcissa smiled sadly at him. "I want you to live. This is not the side to pick in this war. Live for me Draco." She kissed him on his forehead and he closed his eyes against the tears, willing them to stop. She pulled away and stood up. "I have already sent to Dumbledore. He is expecting you." Draco nodded sadly. "Get your things ready and I'll give you the portkey." She paused at the tapestry, holding it open to reveal the passage, "I will miss you brushing my hair, Draco. No one can get it to shine like you can." With that she was gone, the tapestry falling back into place behind her. Draco Malfoy was left sat in the middle of the floor with silent tears running down his cheeks in constant streams.

_End Flashback_

Harry was confused about the change in his rival. When Malfoy's face was clear of arrogance he looked sad, wistful almost, but mostly he looked tired. Harry had to wonder what had happened to cause his adversary to drop his demeanour of five years. Was it possible that the past five years had been an act? Or was this the act? Harry was mystified but somehow he found himself following the blonde back to a table in the main body of the library. He sat opposite the other boy, "What happened?" The misty eyes that met his own were surprised but they had shadows lurking in them that Harry recognised all too well. The other boy opened his mouth but nothing came out. He was staring directly ahead but Harry guessed he wasn't seeing anything in the room. His jaw dropped when he noticed a lone tear fall down Malfoy's cheek. This couldn't be an act; Malfoy would never show this level of emotion in front of Harry. Harry felt uncomfortable. He didn't know how to react, almost as if the silver haired boy sensed this he blinked out of his memory and turned hostile eyes on Harry "Don't you dare pity me Potter!" He stood and wiped the tear away angrily, "I don't need your pity!" with that he stormed out of the library. Leaving Harry as confused as ever.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Draco walked for almost ten minutes before his anger burned out and he sagged against the wall next to a portrait of o pair of witches playing some kind of card game. The one looked over at him curiously while the other took the opportunity to sneak a look at her opponent's cards. Draco slid down the wall with his hands covering his face, fingers buried in the silver locks of his hair. He didn't know why he had revealed so much of himself to Potter. They had accepted some kind of unspoken truce but still, this was Potter. Draco brought his legs up and linked his arms around his knees. Potter being civil was one thing, he had some kind of hero complex that compelled him to do things like that, but for a moment when he had seen those green eyes…if he didn't know better Draco would have said he had found Harry Potter attractive. Sure, for a while Draco had known he was at least bi-sexual but he had never looked at Potter in that way. Had he? He thought back over all their encounters in the last five years. Had there been anything more than animosity between them? Draco paled. He had directed a lot of his time and thoughts towards getting the raven haired boy's attention, true it was through unfavourable situations but after Potter had rejected him in the first year he could not have been seen to grovel. He put his head back into his hands. "Oh Merlin, I'm attracted to Harry Potter." With his head in his hands he didn't see a pale face float back into the wall down the hall.

Harry was walking the corridors trying to find Draco. "If I were Draco where would I go?" He stopped dead. He just referred to Malfoy by first name. He shook his head; the display of emotion Dra-Malfoy had shown in the library had obviously thrown him. He carried on walking trying not to think too much about a blond haired Slytherin. Suddenly a wispy shape floated out of the wall in front of him. The girl smiled, "Hello, Harry." Harry did his best to smile and not grimace. "Hi Myrtle." She floated around him in a circle and he turned his head trying to keep sight of her, after the incident in the prefects' bathroom during his fourth year he always liked to be able to see exactly where she was. She smiled brightly at him, which was unusual enough, the fact that when she spoke she sounded positively overjoyed just furthered Harry's suspicions that something bad had happened. "I know something that could be very interesting to you." She twirled her phantom pony-tail in her spectral fingers, "I could tell you, but it might be much more fun to let you figure it out…." She giggled and it sounded like breaking glass, high and tinkling. Harry relaxed a bit, Myrtle was just trying to create some fun for herself by getting him all worried. He sighed, "Myrtle I really don't have time to play your games right now. Go find someone else to bother. Anyone else, because I'm not going to play along." He swept past her and muttered to himself "I've got an upset Slytherin to find." As he rounded the corner he heard Myrtle cackle wickedly and he almost turned back to find out what she had been going to say but he spotted the huddled form of his blond adversary at the other end of the corridor.

He felt him sit next to him but Draco didn't move. Of course Potter would have come to find him, that damn hero complex kicking in again. He asked without removing his head from his hands, "Why are you here anyway? Don't you go back to muggles every summer or something?" When he didn't get a reply straight away he raised his head, the other boy was staring forward, his face betrayed the turmoil of his thoughts perfectly, so Gryffindor he couldn't help but smile. He's thinking that if he tells me why he's here I'll tell him why I'm here. Draco gave a small shake of his head while he tried to disguise the smile playing over his lips, Gryffindors were so naive. The boy next to him suddenly decided to come to a decision and turned abruptly to face Draco. Which left Draco staring at those swirling green eyes from only inches away. His breath caught in his throat, his own surprise was mirrored in the eyes before him but before he could analyse it further he turned away, scared of what Harry, no, Potter would see in his eyes. Potter had frozen but once Draco broke the eye contact he took a shaky breath and answered Draco's question; "Um…well, to cut a long story very short, I'm not exactly my Aunt and Uncle's favourite nephew, so when Dumbledore sent me a letter saying he wanted me to come here I jumped at the chance." He paused and Draco wondered how bad Harry's summers were, "But Dumbledore left me a letter this morning saying he had to leave for a few days So I'm not entirely sure why I'm here really." Draco could feel the emerald eyes boring into his skull, willing him to speak. He wasn't going to reply but he found himself opening his mouth and blurting out the reason for his presence. "It's my mother. She sent me here. She says this way I'll live through the war." He looked at the other boy, "Don't get me wrong, I never really wanted to be a Death eater, it's just what Lucius wanted. But once he was sent to Askaban I had sort of accepted that I would join. But about a week ago Mother came to see me and told me she was going to disown me so that I could leave the Dark Lord." His eyes were left moist with tears as he remembered his mother. He rested his head on his knees so Harry wouldn't see him cry again. He felt a warm arm around his shoulders and he let himself lean into it. "I doubt I'll see my parents again. One he's out of Askaban, the Dark Lord will kill Lucius. If he hasn't already, I'm sure he'll kill my mother too." He looked up at green eyes filled with sympathy, "Looks like we'll have something in common Harry. Both our parents will have been killed by the Dark Lord protecting us." He buried his face back into his knees.

Harry was having one of the most confusing days ever. First he had discovered Draco Malfoy was here, and then said Slytherin had acted contrary to everything Harry thought he knew about him. He had found himself hugging the Slytherin in the corridor, holding him as he cried. What he had said about them having something in common had struck a chord with Harry and for some reason he trusted the Slytherin now. Which was why he decided to invite him to stay in Gryffindor with himself. He didn't think the boy should be on his own right now. However he was still mildly surprised when he looked over to see the blond asleep on a couch in the Gryffindor common room. All this was confusing but what was most confusing to Harry was the moment when he had turned to explain to Draco why he was here and he had met those molten silver eyes from mere inches away. He had stopped breathing for a moment. Draco had looked equally surprised, he thought. He sat up straighter, he had just called him Draco again. But then hadn't the other boy called him Harry in the corridor? He watched the blond sleeping; with his face relaxed by sleep he looked more like he had in the library. Scowling makes him much less attractive, thought Harry, he's not making the best of himself. Harry swore softly, he wasn't attracted to Malfoy. He wasn't. He stared at the boy with a growing horror.

Draco woke first the next morning. He looked around, why was he in the Gryffindor common room? He saw Harry sitting on a chair not too far away and he remembered. He hadn't wanted to be alone and Potter had offered to let him stay in Gryffindor. There was a table set up on the other side of the common room with two place settings and a pile of food. So the house elves knew about his change in accommodation. He looked around at the portrait and hole and sure enough, just inside the entrance, was his trunk and broomstick. He stood and walked over to the sleeping boy; kneeling next to him he poked his shoulder gingerly. When he received no reaction he poked a little harder, "Ha-, I mean, Potter. Wake up." The raven-haired boy stirred and opened his vivid eyes. Seeing Draco he sat bolt upright and looked around. Draco laughed and walked over to the table, "Don't worry Potter, you invited me remember?" The other boy stood up and yawned as he walked over to join Draco, "Yeah I remember. I just didn't expect to wake up to see you." Draco pulled a funny face; he was sure that Potter was blushing but he ignored it and sat down to eat.

As he ate his breakfast Harry kept glancing covertly at the boy sitting across from him. He had been dreaming about the blonde in a way that convinced him that he was very attracted to Draco Malfoy. There was no way that the blonde would reciprocate his feelings though, sure, he might now begin to think of him as a friend but Draco Malfoy was proclaimed by all the girls in Slytherin, and quite a few in other houses to be a sex god. There was no way he could be gay. Harry shook his head he would have to be content with being friends. Friends with Draco Malfoy. He never thought those words would apply to him, it was strange to be sitting here eating breakfast with the man he had, only yesterday morning, thought of as his nemesis. He shook his head again. Malfoy was looking at him strangely, "Is there something wrong Potter? Only, if you keep shaking your head, you'll pass out." He smiled "As funny as that would be, I would lose the only person around here that I can converse with. So please, stop?" Harry blushed, "Sorry, I didn't realise I was doing it." He picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet that had been left next to the food. Across the front the words "Lestrange Spotted Near Scottish Border" was emblazoned. Underneath it was the picture of Bellatrix Lestrange that Harry had seen before on wanted posters. He passed it over to Draco without a word. The blonde glanced at the paper and his already milky complexion paled further. He looked at Harry and there was fear in his silver eyes. "D'you think she's coming here?" Draco shook his head "I just don't know. Aunt Bella is a little, unbalanced. She's unpredictable in all but one thing, she's fanatical about the Dark Lord and serving him. If she feels I've lapsed badly enough, which she almost definitely does, she may try to get to me." Harry stood up and walked to the portrait hole, "That's it we're going to find McGonagall." As he turned the portrait opened and admitted a rather flustered looking Professor McGonagall, "Potter, don't stand so close to the portrait hole!" She said in her thick accent. She spotted Draco and visibly sagged in relief. "Mr Malfoy! There you are! I had visions of you being snatched right from under my very nose and…well." She smoothed her robes, "What matters I suppose it that you're safe. I trust you have seen the newspaper?" Draco nodded mutely but Harry spoke, "That's why we were coming to get you Professor. What are we going to do?" She looked at him, "Do? We aren't going to do anything. Dumbledore is on his way back as I speak and I have set extra wards around the castle." She looked apologetically at the two boys, "You will have to remain in here until the headmaster arrives. I will seal the room and place extra wards around it. I'm sorry boys, I know there is some animosity between you but I trust by the fact that you were here together that this can be put behind you?" Without waiting for a reply she retreated out of the portrait hole with an assurance of "It will not be for long boys!" and then she was gone. Harry felt the pressure change and as the room was sealed. He turned to Draco "She sealed us in!" Harry touched the door and he felt a surge of magic before he was flung away from the wall and landed hard hitting his head on a table and passing out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note : **holds hands up Ok, so I forgot all this stuff in chapter 3. So here I'm thanking both those who reviewed chapter 2 and those who reviewed chapter 3. Also a special thanks goes to my long-suffering unofficial beta who definitely deserves a mention. Again its so great to get a positive response, which is kind of why I took so long to add this chapter. I wrote it once then suddenly decided I didn't like it any more, so I re-wrote it. Hopefully this is going to carry on the story in a way people enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own any of it. Apart from the plot, which was spawned in my warped little mind.

**Warning:** Will contain slash ie male/male relationship, so if you don't like, don't read. I will not include anything explicit but there will most probably be kissing and lots of it (the kissing starts here my friends).

Chapter 4

Draco saw it in slow motion, Harry reached out towards the wall and he opened his mouth to warn him but it was too late, Harry's hand connected with the door and his eyes widened in surprise a moment before he was thrown away with such force that he flew right across the common room. Draco had a moment to think what it would be like if the ward was touched from the outside with a stone wall 3 feet away, before Harry's head connected with a table emitting a sickening crack and the emerald of his eyes disappeared behind the black lace of his fluttering eyelashes. Time seemed to snap back and Draco was on his knees next to the boy's body in a second. He grasped the smaller boy's shoulders and raised him into his lap, "Harry? Harry! Wake up!" He felt the back of Harry's skull for any sign of fractures or blood, there was none but there was a large lump already forming. He kept his one hand embedded in the silky black hair, cradling Harry's head. With the other he checked Harry's pulse; weak, but there. He leant over trying to feel Harry's breath on his face. He almost laughed with relief when he felt the soft breath on his cheek and ear. "Draco?" the voice was so close and unexpected that he was still bent forward when he turned and as his eyes met the startling green ones, his lips brushed over Harry's in the barest of touches. Both froze, wide silver eyes met equally wide emerald eyes. Draco muttered "What the hell." and pressed his lips to those of the startled boy in his lap. After a second Harry responded to the gentle pressure on his lips. Draco felt a thrill run though him and he deepened the kiss, making it more demanding. He licked Harry's bottom lip and Harry opened his mouth to allow Draco entry.

Harry suddenly gasped in pain and pulled back, Draco's hand on the back of his head had touched the tender spot that had connected with the table. With Draco's help Harry sat up against a chair and reached up to gingerly touch the lump, he winced. He turned to Draco, the blond boys lips were swollen and red from the kiss and his eyes seemed to sparkle. He smiled at Harry and Harry found himself smiling back. He couldn't believe it, Draco Malfoy had kissed him. "I guess spending some time locked in here together won't be so bad." He touched the lump on his head again, "Just remind me to keep away from the walls." Draco laughed and stood up before holding a hand out to help Harry stand. Harry took it and locked eyes with Draco as he pulled him to his feet. They stood awkwardly for a moment, hand in hand before the blond pulled his hand back. "So, um, how's your head?" Harry traced his fingers over the swelling and winced "I'll live. Hermione knows a charm to reduce swelling, I never paid much attention though," he smiled ruefully and strands of thick black hair fell into his eyes, "Guess I should have." Draco walked around behind Harry, who tried to turn to follow his movement. He was stopped by a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder, "Let me see it, I know I few healing spells." Harry turned back to face the front. He felt silly talking to thin air but he went ahead anyway. "Um, Draco? I guess we need to maybe, er, talk about, um, well you know, that thing from before." He could feel a warm breeze on the back of his head where Draco was casting a healing spell. "You mean the kiss?" The raven-haired boy blushed and he was glad that Draco couldn't see him, "Yeah, that." He fidgeted "What I mean is, well, you know, what do we do about it?" Draco finished healing Harry's head but didn't walk back round to face him so Harry turned, feeling for the now non-existent lump. There was a look on Draco's face that played out for a fleeting moment over his handsome features but disappeared before Harry could have any hope of deciphering it's origins or meanings. Draco lowered his eyes and walked wide around Harry back towards the table. Harry turned again to keep his retreating back in sight. The Slytherin's voice came out sounding strange and hollow , "We don't do anything, Potter." He sat and looked up pale eyes cold and expression arrogant, "It wasn't anything, just a silly kiss. I mean you had just hit your head so you cant have been thinking straight." Harry felt his words like a punch to his gut but he kept his face carefully blank. "Yeah, I guess." He tried to keep his tone light, "I'm going to get something from my room." He raced for the stairs to the dormitories.

Draco watched him run out and mentally kicked himself, why did he have to say that? It wasn't anything? Nothing could be further from the truth. So why did he say that? But he had studied the Gryffindor's face carefully after that sentence and there hadn't been a flicker of any emotion. Draco put his head in his hands, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately. At least this way he knew that Harry felt nothing for him, he hadn't made himself even more of a fool. They could probably be friends in the future but Draco put thoughts of anything else out of his mind. Forced the thoughts deep down and hoped that they wouldn't surface anytime soon. Draco heard footsteps before Harry came into view on the stairs. The other boy paused as he came into view and opened his mouth as if to say something. Suddenly he seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth walking quickly down the remaining steps and across the common room to sit next to the fireplace. There was a moment of uneasy silence before the dark-haired boy turned to meet Draco's eyes. "Did you really mean that?" Green eyes pieced his like lasers and Draco had to look away. He stood and walked over to a painting, pretended to examine it so that he couldn't see Harry's eyes; and, more importantly, Harry couldn't see his. "Mean what?" he tried to keep his voice nonchalant and not betray the stream of hope that was bubbling up inside of him. He felt Harry come and stand behind him but he couldn't bear to turn to face him, "Did you really mean that our kiss wasn't anything? That it didn't mean anything to you?" Draco turned to meet the glittering green eyes and found them closer than he had expected, his voice came out as barely a whisper, "Do you want me to mean it?". He moved a fraction closer, his clothes brushing Harry's but nothing else. Harry's lips parted slightly and his eyes flickered to Draco's lips and back to his silver eyes before he shook his head. Draco inched closer lips hovering just above the other boy's, "I didn't mean it." He closed his eyes and moved his lips the short distance to touch Harry's.

His breath sped, and as Draco moved his mouth to the mouth of the shorter boy, Harry closed his eyes. Draco had the softest lips Harry had ever felt, the blond had his hand on the back of Harry's neck, keeping his head in place where he wanted it. Harry had both his hands on Draco's slim waist and as Draco moved his free hand to Harry's back, pulling him closer, Harry slid his hands down to stoke Draco's firm butt and Draco deepened the kiss. His tongue roved around Harry's mouth, licking and tasting everything. Harry was so caught up in the sensation that the first sign he had that Draco had moved them was the soft feeling of a couch underneath him. Draco broke the kiss and began to kiss down Harry's neck. Harry moaned and the noise seemed to spur Draco on even more.

Harry was making small moaning growls that Draco could practically taste as he kissed his way down the boy's perfect throat. Suddenly his mouth met fabric and he paused in the kissing to pull the tee shirt over Harry's head before tossing it away and resuming his trail of kisses down from Harry's flawless collar bone and across his chest. Draco could guess it was thanks to Quidditch that the chest and abdomen he was raining kisses on was so sublime. Silken muscles moved under Harry's golden skin as he writhed under Draco's ministrations. Draco dipped his tongue under the waistband of Harry's jeans and the younger boy looked down at him with wild green eyes, "Oh god, Draco." The blond smiled up at him in a way that could only be called predatory. He began kissing his way back up the fellow seeker's toned abdomen. Neither boy noticed that the room had been unsealed until they heard Professor McGonagall's cry of "MALFOY! POTTER!" Draco sat up so quickly that he fell off the sofa and Harry scrambled to sit up and put his shirt back on. McGonagall was very studiously looking about three feet above the boy's heads. "Professor Dumbledore has arrived and would like to see you both." She spared them a glance, "Immediately. And appropriately dressed, Mr Potter." Then she swept from the room, deep red robes billowing behind her in a very Snape like manner. As soon as she left the room Draco burst into laughter and Harry soon followed. "Did you see her face!" tears were streaming down Draco's face. Harry stood up and pulled Draco after him, keeping his hand after the Slytherin was upright. "Come on, the quicker we go see Dumbledore, the quicker we can get back." Draco glimpsed a very un-Gryffindor look in Harry's eyes as he allowed himself to be dragged to the portrait hole. Draco found it hard not to regret that Dumbledore hadn't taken more than an hour to get back to the school.

They arrived at the headmaster's office and just as Harry realised that he didn't know the password the gargoyle sprang to the side on it's own, McGonagall's voice floated down to the two boys, "Potter, Malfoy. Come up." Harry had to let go of Draco's hand to stand on the stairs and it's absence left his hand cold. The door at the top of the stairs was open and Dumbledore sat at his desk facing the boys as they entered. Professor McGonagall was standing slightly behind and to one side of the headmaster, her lips drawn in a tight line as she tried her best not to look either boy in the eye. Harry assumed she had told Dumbledore about what she had walked in on and he was worried what the ancient Headmaster might think. However, Dumbledore seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing, "I'm afraid that due to my only just having arrived back I have no sweets to offer you, but please, have a seat." Two chairs appeared in front of the desk and Harry and Draco each sat in one.

The headmaster smiled at the boys and Draco couldn't help thinking that the man's amusement was just a façade, there was something in those blue eyes that didn't quite fit. Draco glanced over to Harry to see if he showed any sign of seeing the slight discrepancy in the headmaster's demeanour, but the open trust on Harry's face was clear. This was a man he had complete confidence in. Draco didn't like how blindly the dark haired boy seemed to follow Dumbledore. He felt uneasy but just sat patiently and waited to see what the headmaster would say. Clear blue eyes pierced his for a moment before they turned to Harry, "I'm afraid that I have misled you Harry." Draco tensed but no one seemed to notice. The old man carried on, "I was not infact called away to the ministry I just wanted you to meet with Mr Malfoy here," he gestured with one hand to Draco, "and come to a truce by yourselves, without me being around to tell you that he must be accepted." He looked over his half-moon glasses at the boys and though his expression was of gentle amusement, there was a cold fire burning in his eyes. "I assume from what Minerva has told me you have, shall we say worked out your differences." Harry was blushing furiously but Draco remained pale as he tried to gauge what Dumbledore's real feelings were towards his and Harry's relationship. Harry began to splutter some explanation, but the head held up a hand to stop him "It's ok Harry. You owe me no explanation, your relationship with Draco is nothing to be ashamed of." He smiled and the relief on Harry's face was almost sickening to Draco. "On to a more pressing matter, Draco," The blond turned at his name to face the head, "Your Aunt Bellatrix will mostly likely come to the school, however there is no way she can get past the school wards. She should not even be able to come within 200 metres of the perimeter without my knowledge." There was a glimmer in the old man's eyes that put Draco on edge but before he could read into it anymore, Dumbledore had glanced away. "You will be perfectly safe in the castle for the foreseeable future. If it comes to a time at which I am no longer confident of your safety here you will be moved to a location where you will be." The ancient wizard smiled beatifically at the raven-haired boy "I do not think you will have to be moved though. You can go now if you wish."

By the time Harry had nodded and stood Draco was already at the door and just waiting for Harry to catch up. Dumbledore stood, "Actually, Mr Malfoy, could I please have a word with you in private?" Draco froze, a fear gripped him and he wasn't quite sure why. The headmaster couldn't really do anything to him. Harry didn't seem to think anything was wrong and though Draco gave him scared eyes to try to get him to stay, Harry just smiled as he walked past. Professor McGonagall brushed past him without so much as a glance and the door shut behind her. Draco stared at the wood as if that would make it open and allow his escape. A small cough from behind him turned him around to face the ancient wizard. He no longer looked like the kindly grandfather that he had a minute ago, he now looked like the powerful wizard that he was. Magic swirled around the man and as he drew himself up to his impressive height Draco saw that his blue eyes practically glowed with power. "Mr Malfoy, I did not bring you here and graciously allow you to convert to our side just to have you corrupt the saviour of all wizard-kind." He walked around his desk and began to step towards Draco, who was pressing himself against the door, paralysed by the change that had come over the sorcerer in front of him, "You will not lead Harry to his destruction, which is exactly what you will be doing if I allow you to continue with this relationship." Draco didn't move. Dumbledore straightened up and walked back around to behind his desk. By the time he had sat back down he was again the smiling grandfather figure. "So, Draco, I trust that you will accept my advice and take your relationship with Harry back to a friendship?" He smiled but it didn't reach his ice blue eyes, "You may leave now." He bent his head over some papers on his desk and began to write. Draco grasped blindly for the door handle and fled down the stairs so quickly that he collided with Harry, who was waiting at the bottom. He had a glimpse of startled green eyes as the other boy toppled to the floor before he was off and running towards the Slytherin common room. Harry's shout of his name echoing down the corridor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything, dammit... So don't sue me. Thanks in advance!

**Warning: **Although if you've got to this point you shouldn't need one. But anyway, malexmale relationship if this offends you in anyway please don't read any further (and also why are you on chapter 5?).

**Author's Note: **Ok, so I haven't actually updated this for a while...a while here meaning over 6 months. But in my defence the summer holiday's ended and I had to apply to university then I had exams...and well this wasn't really my main priority. But I definately haven't forgotten about poor little Draco and Harry. So for those of you coming back to this story: Thanks for bearing with me. For those of you who are new: Thanks for clicking :) Anyway Harry has been sitting on the floor in a corridor for about six months so I'm sure his butt has fallen asleep by now. So without further ado I will shut up. Oh yes, one more thing, please reveiw!

Chapter 5

Harry sat on the floor in the corridor feeling quite bemused. Draco had come barrelling out of Dumbledore's office, knocked him to the floor and sped off without so much as a word. He stood up and rubbed his elbow where it had connected with the hard floor, Harry was very confused, should he follow Draco? Or just go back to Gryffindor? He stared down the corridor after the blond for a long time before turning reluctantly and making his way back to his own common room. He tried to tell himself he cared more about how Draco felt than satisfying his own curiosity. If Draco wanted to be on his own, which he had implied by taking off like that, Harry should respect that. After all they were friends now, Harry was ignoring the moment in the common room for now; he wasn't sure what it meant so he focused on what he was sure of. Harry stopped next to a large painting of a landscape scene where three witches were picnicking under the shade of some trees. If Draco was a friend he should treat him like one, if Ron or Hermione had run out of the office like that he would have followed them without a moments hesitation. He turned sharply on his heel and headed towards the dungeons.

Draco hadn't managed to reach the common room before he'd had to duck into a classroom. He had heard footsteps around the corner ahead and had dodged into the dusty room a second before Snape had swept around the corner, robes billowing as he strode along the stone passage. Even once he had passed Draco couldn't seem to move. He sat on one of the desks, which creaked alarmingly under his weight, and let out a shuddering breath. He had never seen the headmaster so intimidating. As a rule he used more passive diplomatic ways of solving problems. He tangled people up in words until they were forced to bend to his will. The fact that he had felt the need to take such a direct approach to warning Draco off meant that something was seriously wrong. Before he could take his train of thought any further he saw a shape pause in front of the door. Too short for a teacher and the black hair was visible even through the frosted glass panel.

Harry paused in the corridor, the marauders map, which he had thought to accio to him half way down to the dungeons, was telling him that Draco was in the room to his left. The peeling lettering on the door told him this was Dungeon 8. He knocked gently on the door, "Draco?" He pushed the door open to find the blond looking paler than usual and with wide eyes. He hurried to sit next to Draco on the desk, which squealed under the added weight. "What's wrong? What happened?" Draco shifted away from Harry and wouldn't look at him. Harry frowned but persisted with his questions, "Draco? What happened in Dumbledore's office? Why did you come sprinting out like that?" Draco fidgeted as he sat there, fiddling with the edge of his robes. Grey eyes darted everywhere never settling on one point. "It's nothing really…I just, well, he, Dumbledore I mean…He just, um, put things in perspective for me." Draco studiously avoided Harry's quizzical gaze, "What do you mean? Put what in perspective?" Draco stood abruptly and turned to face Harry. Silver eyes met green and the intensity of the gaze startled both adolescents.

Draco was tracing his gaze over every nuance of Harry's face as if he were trying to memorise it. Harry felt a cold weight in his gut, he had no real reason to have hoped anything would have sprung from _that_ moment in the common room but yet he still found that when that hope was being taken away he mourned it's loss. He knew what Draco was going to say before he said it and he was able to school his face into a careful mask. "Harry I don't think we should, you know, " he ran slender fingers through his hair, "carry what happened in the common room any further." His eyes settled on Harry's once the statement was out, Harry swallowed slowly and forced a smile onto his face, "I didn't really expect anything to come from it." He pushed away from the desk and took a step forward. A strange feeling had come over him; he didn't want to let Draco go just like that, not when he had just discovered him. The blond had admitted that their first kiss had meant something to him there was no way he could have changed his mind so quickly. He took another step forward and he watched as Draco's tongue slid out in a flash of pink to lick his lips before his gaze was drawn to the line of his throat, watching the blonde swallow. He took another step forward and Draco began to look wary, "I mean it's not like either of us enjoyed it, was it?" Another step and silver eyes widened further. They were right up close now, due to the height difference Harry had to tilt his face up slightly to see Draco's almost frightened eyes. "It's not like either of us wants to do it again, right, Draco?" He drew the name out like he was tasting it, rich and sweet. A shudder ran up Draco's spine. The taller boy shook his head almost imperceptibly, "Don't." The word escaped his lips in little more than a breath. Harry spoke in the same hushed tone, "Why?"

Draco closed his eyes at the feel of hot breath on his neck. He knew he couldn't do this if he could see those judgmental green eyes but he also knew he couldn't let go if he continued to feel that hot sweet breath on his skin. So why wasn't he stepping back? Why wasn't he running? He didn't open his eyes when he spoke, "Because I want you too much and I don't have the luxury of being able to entertain this fantasy." He opened his eyes and looked down at the shorter boy, "I've been warned off you Harry. Simple as that. We can't do this because it will corrupt you." He noted the bitterness in his voice but couldn't disguise it, he hated Dumbledore for stopping this before it started, he hated his parents for getting involved with the Dark Lord and he hated himself for letting other people decide his fate. Green eyes were looking back at him with a mixture of confusion and pity. Draco focused on the confusion because he couldn't handle the pity, "Dumbledore, Harry. Dumbledore has told me to not go any further with you." Comprehension dawned on Harry and spread across his face like a night across the fields. Harry grabbed the tops of his arms firmly and spun the other boy around to press against the ancient table. Harry pressed his lips to those in front of him just as firmly. Draco's eyes fluttered closed and his hands gripped the antique wood, nails digging in slightly. His mouth was released and Draco sleepily opened his eyes, blinking stupidly as Harry's face swam into focus. The dark haired boy was breathing heavily and his eyes were fierce as he said, "Maybe I want to be corrupted."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the settings or characters involved in this story, i just borrowed them for my own nefarious purposes.

**Warning: **Male x Male relationship. Don't like, Don't read. Sexual relations occur in this chapter although they have been censored out due to the whole no mature stuff on thing, so feel free to freestyle it. I haven't written the scene but if anyone desperately wants me to, I'll have a go. :)

**Author's Note: **Again I've been awful and not updated for ages. But I went on holiday and managed to get the majority of this chapter written in about a week. I've also reposted the rest of the chapters because it was pointed out to me I'd been spelling Gryffindor wrong all the way through. Whoops. Thanks to all those who reviewed since chapter 5 was posted! After this there should only be two more chapters and...well...bit of an advance warning here, I may have accidentally gotten a main character death in the next chapter. It's not my fault, it just kinda happened. Sorry. there may be a light at the end of the tunnel yet but I'm still deciding on that.

Chapter 6

"Maybe I want to be corrupted"

Both boys we still panting heavily, grey eyes searched Harry's face for any trace of deception. Finding none, Draco paused only a moment before pressing his lips to Harry's. The kiss was chaste and though not as fiery as the last one there was a quiet desperation, a gentle determination that made it just as passionate. As they parted this time their lips seemed to cling together, as if unwilling to let each other go. Harry's hand was warm against Draco's waist and the other hand cupped his face, fingers playing with the soft, silver-blond hair behind his ear. Draco had both hands on the slightly shorter boy's hips. Neither remembered moving during the kiss but they were content to stand as they were for a while longer. Both were marvelling in the fact they could touch each other like this. Short days ago neither boy would have ever considered this moment a possibility, ever wanted it to be a possibility. Yet here they were and both could not honestly name a time recently when they had been more content. Draco managed to find his voice first, "Harry," he lowered his eyes, "What about Dumbledore?" Harry's laugh jerked Draco's head up. Green eyes glittered with laughter, "You're thinking about Dumbledore now?" The corner of his lips twitched upwards, if Draco didn't know better he could have sworn the Gryffindor just smirked. "Either I'm not doing something right, which is impossible," he added modestly, "Or you have some very twisted fantasies." A pink blush crept up Draco's cheeks and he laughed "Not what I meant, and you know it." He shifted on the desk he was still sat on. "Seriously though, Harry. He damn-near told me he'd get rid of me if I made a move on you." The smile faded slightly from the darker boy, he sighed and looked down at his hands in his lap as if they could somehow show him an answer. Draco shivered suddenly and wrapped his arms around himself. Harry looked up "Come on. Lets go back to the common room." He stood, relieving the ageing table of his weight, "It's much more comfortable and there's a fire." He smiled; verdant eyes bright and held out a hand to the blond boy. Draco slid his pale hand into Harry's and thrilled at the small touch. Harry jerked him upright and added an extra tug to pull the Slytherin to him. Draco smiled and their lips met in another almost chaste kiss. They broke away almost simultaneously. Harry walked to the doorway and leant against the frame, eyes bright, "Race you there." And with a rakish grin he shot off. Pearly eyes blinked, once, slowly. "Damn!" and Draco was scrambling after his boyfriend.

Harry arrived at the portrait and took three tries to gasp the password out. He could hear Draco's feet pounding along the corridor. The fat lady peered down at him "What was that dear?" Harry gulped in lungfuls of air desperately, "Marshmallow." Harry heard Draco round the corner "Potter! Don't you dare!" His shout echoed down the corridor as the portrait slid out of the way and Harry dove through. Unfortunately for him (AN: or fortunately whichever way you look at it), so did Draco and they ended up in a heap on the floor. Harry's startled green eyes stared up into Draco's grey ones for a moment both breathing heavily before one of them, neither knew which, closed the short distance and they were kissing again. Harry was on his back, hands fisted in Draco's shirt, said blond was straddling Harry with his knees either side of Harry's hips and his hands on the floor next to Harry's head. He kept their bodies apart while only their lips touched. Harry growled at the lack of contact and flipped them over. Smokey eyes stared up at him and he could practically feel the heat emanating from them. Draco was breathing hard and though it could have been the chase through the castle, Harry liked to think it was his kiss that caused the Slytherin to pant so prettily. Draco's blond hair was mussed and lay across his eyes, sticking slightly to his head from the exertion. Harry lifted a hand to brush the hair out of the way. Somehow that gesture ended with him cupping Draco's chin and kissing him slowly, gently. He took his time, savoured the taste that was purely Draco, explored his mouth and mapped it out for future reference. Draco slid a hand up under Harry's tee shirt and across his back, nails grazed slightly over warm skin and Harry groaned into Draco's mouth, releasing it a second later to watch Draco's face as he lowered his body till they were lying flush against each other. The feeling of their lower bodies pressed together more intimately than they had even touched each other before was enough to cause Draco's breath to be shaky as he let it out slowly, fighting for control. Harry moved his hips minutely but the movement thrilled up Draco's body and caused him to close his eyes and arch his body upward, moaning breathily. Harry growled a response and closed his eyes so he couldn't see the blond laid out beneath him.

Suddenly Harry stood and Draco let out a small noise of distress, arms reaching without conscious thought to try to drag that exquisite body back onto his. The Slytherin ended up sat on the floor staring up at Harry, who had his eyes closed. "You don't want to do this anymore." It wasn't a question, more of a statement. Green eyes shot open "God, how can you say that?" He looked panicked and shut his eyes tightly again. "Of course I want to do this its just I don't want to do it here, and if you keep sitting there looking like…" He risked a glimpse and made a sort of strangled noise, "like _that_. I'm not sure I'd be able to stop myself from jumping on you and ripping all your clothes off right here." Draco smirked at Harry's distress but he was secretly pleased he had such an effect on the Gryffindor. The blond stood with almost liquid grace and stalked silently around Harry, who still had his eyes tightly shut. After a minute of silence the darker boy finally lost his nerve, "Draco? Say something." He opened his eyes a fraction and then wider when Draco wasn't where he was expected to be. Suddenly Draco moulded himself to Harry's back and murmured into his ear, "So where exactly would you prefer to rip my clothes off?" His arms encircled Harry's waist and rode low on his hips. His mouth was so close that when he spoke his lips brushed against the shorter boy's earlobe. Harry raised an arm to grasp the back of Draco's neck and tilted his head back to allow the blond better access to his neck. Draco sucked the lobe of Harry's ear between his lips and gently pulled on it with his teeth until Harry let out a small moan. He let go of his ear and began to kiss his way down to the pulse beating frantically against his lips, he set teeth lightly into the golden skin and Harry arched his body against Draco. Abruptly Draco twisted out of Harry's grasp and started backing towards the dormitory stairs, Harry turned slightly dazed and met Draco's silver eyes as he beckoned for Harry to follow him, a salacious glint in his gaze. When he spoke his tone was almost challenging "Come on then Potter," His grin was self-assured and he stared directly into Harry's eyes as he pronounced every word carefully and slowly, as if savouring the taste, "rip my clothes off."

They hit the door to the dormitory already wrapped around each other, lips smashed together and hands tearing at each other's clothes. Draco kicked the door closed and pushed Harry up against it. He released the shorter boy's mouth and they both gasped for air. A moment later and Draco was nuzzling Harry's neck, covering it with bruising kisses and soft licks. Harry made small moaning noises and fumbled with the blond's tee shirt. He managed to raise it as far as Draco's shoulders before he could move it no further. Draco seemed to realise this fact and drew back from the beautiful golden neck in front of him. He took one step back, leaving Harry leaning against the door and drew his shirt over his head. He dropped it on the floor and raised his eyes to meet Harry's. The Griffindor was staring at him, mouth slightly open. Draco felt a faint blush creep up his cheeks at the scrutiny he was receiving. "What?" Even he could tell he sounded defensive. Harry finally lifted his gaze from the faintly muscled torso before him and smiled, "Nothing. Just looking at you." The Slytherin felt his cheeks get even darker. Harry had removed his own shirt and was walking towards the blond. Draco backed up, keeping eye contact with Harry until he felt his legs hit a bed. He glanced down briefly and it was all the time Harry needed to spring forward. As Draco turned his face back towards Harry, the dark haired boy pushed him backwards onto the mattress and followed him down. Draco found himself staring up at Harry as the shorter boy leaned down to kiss him again. Harry had both of Draco's wrists pinned to the bed next to his head as he continued to trail kisses across Draco's throat and upper chest. The Slytherin fought for some semblance of sanity as he writhed underneath Harry. He gasped and tried to speak, "Harry." His eyes widened as Harry somehow managed to glide his tongue around Draco's navel. "Harry!" the darker boy raised his head to look up at Draco, "Wait Harry. You've not…well.." Draco struggled with how to phrase what he knew had to be said. Finally he settled on just blurting it out "You've not been with a guy before have you?" Harry just looked at him before saying slowly, "No. I haven't. It's not really something I thought about until, " now Harry looked uncomfortable, "Until recently." Draco nodded and smiled "You have to let me take charge this time." Harry looked confused, "What do you mean?" Draco tried to lift his arms, still pressed into the mattress by Harry, to demonstrate. Harry blushed a little, "Sorry I think I got carried away." He released the blond's wrists. Draco sat up and kissed him quickly, "Any other time, feel free, but this time you need to trust me." He stared at Harry willing him to agree. Finally Harry nodded and rolled over onto his back, allowing Draco to stand. The Slytherin knelt between Harry's legs and Harry rose up on his elbows to allow him to see Draco properly. Draco reached for the button on Harry's jeans but paused with his fingers resting on the material. He looked up at Harry, "Are you really sure?" Harry doubted that he could refuse Draco anything, he nodded once. Draco pressed a light kiss just to the left of Harry's navel, keeping his eyes on Harry's. "Ok."

CENSORED

When Harry woke, Draco was already awake. The blond was led on his side, sheets pooled in his lap, propped up on one elbow. He was eating a peach and Harry wondered where he had gotten it. Draco moved the fruit away from his mouth and licked a drop of golden liquid off of his bottom lip before speaking, "You know you talk in your sleep right?" Harry smiled as he sat up, "I do not." He glanced around the room and saw a tray like the ones they had previously received set on a small folding table at the end of the bed. Draco followed his gaze and raised a shapely eyebrow, "I think we gave the house elves a bit of a shock." Harry laughed and Draco smiled before continuing, "And for the record you do sleep talk." Harry crawled down the bed to the food and picked up a piece of toast. When he turned back to look at Draco he had a sceptical smile on his face, "Oh yeah? So what was I saying?" He took a bite of the toast and his next sentence was only just discernible, "Did I recite _Hogwarts: A History _word for word? Or was I commentating on a Quidditch match?" The blond frowned as Harry sprayed crumbs everywhere, "Honestly, do you have no manners? And actually you proclaimed I was the most incredible lover you had ever had and that you thought I was amazing and brilliant and far superior to everyone else. "Then he added as an afterthought, "At everything." Harry's eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline, "See, now I just know that's a lie." He winced as his ribs were jabbed sharply and he added hastily, "Not that I don't think that, obviously." Draco nodded and went back to eating his peach. Harry continued, "I just wouldn't stroke your already massive ego like that." He hopped off the bed and walked into the shower laughing, leaving the Slytherin glaring after him.

Draco shook his head as he finished off the peach. If anyone had suggested he would be sitting on Harry Potter's bed, joking with the Gryffindor during the proverbial "morning after" moment, he'd have probably laughed. Actually he'd have probably hexed them into next week, then laughed. Goosebumps rose on his arms and chest and Draco shivered. He wanted to get dressed but he couldn't until he'd had a shower. Unfortunately, said shower was currently occupied by Harry Potter…naked…all soapy…unawares…just as a very interesting plan was forming in his mind there was a sharp knock on the door. He sat bolt upright, a house elf wouldn't knock and there was nobody else in the castle except for McGonagall and Dumbledore. Neither of these seemed a good person to open the door to naked with obviously only one bed in the room slept in. Draco jumped across to the nearest bed and rumpled up the sheets hurriedly. Then he searched frantically for his clothes as the person outside the door knocked again, "Er….Just a minute!" he shouted lamely. He found his shirt but the only underwear he could find was Potter's. A nice, bright, Gryffindor-red pair of boxer shorts. He groaned, it was going to be obvious he wasn't wearing his own underwear but that was better than none, right? He picked up the sheet to wrap around his waist and his trousers fell to the floor he snatched them up gratefully and struggled into them. He figured that was decent and opened the door. Dumbledore was looking down at him with a small tight smile, "Ah, Mr Malfoy." The piercing blue eyes swept the room taking in the hastily rumpled sheets on the one bed, the thoroughly messed up state of the other and the mixture of Harry and Draco's clothes strewn across the room. Draco stepped back to allow the headmaster into the room. He watched the older man's gaze fall on his midriff and he glanced down to see a thin band of red underwear showing over the top of his trousers. He closed his eyes and winced. Dumbledore neglected to comment but instead walked silently across the room to sit on the nearest bed that was still made up. He was still smiling. "You may close the door Mr Malfoy." Draco did so. "Is that Harry I hear in the shower?" Draco nodded and Dumbledore nodded to himself as if pleased that he had guessed right. "We'll just wait for him to finish then shall we?" Draco hovered around the door as if he might still decide to flee. Although, he considered, the window might be a better option if it came to that.

Draco heard the water cease and Dumbledore smiled even wider, "Ah, there we are." His eyes glittered in a way that Draco found distinctly unsettling and he had a sudden urge to shout to Harry not to come out, to escape somehow through the bathroom. Regrettably Harry emerged with a towel over his head and nothing else, "Hey, your turn I don't think I used all the hot water." Dumbledore gave a small cough and Harry yanked the towel off his head. He was scarlet as he tried to wrap it around his waist, "Professor! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were here!" Draco was trying to convey to Harry that they were in serious trouble but the tone of Dumbledore's voice seemed to do that for him in one simple word. "Evidently." Harry froze, he was looking at Dumbledore as if he had never quite seen him before. Harry moved over to stand by Draco and coincidentally the door, it seemed that even if he didn't consciously realise quite the scale of the trouble they were in there was some instinctual force in him that sought a source of protection and route of escape. As soon as their bodies obscured the movement from the older man Draco clasped Harry's hand behind them. Harry flicked his eyes to Draco briefly but then turned them back to the headmaster. Dumbledore was sat quite still on the bed, but it was the stillness of a snake before it struck, the eerie stillness just before a storm hit. He smiled at the boys in what he probably thought was a reassuring way but it didn't quite reach those sparkling pools of icy blue, "Well then boys, I had the strangest conversation today with one of the house elves." Harry visibly paled but as Draco was already quite pale the only visible signs of his distress was the widening of his eyes and a slight shifting in his stance. It was obvious that Dumbledore took the involuntary responses as admissions of guilt. He nodded, "I see I have not been misled then." He nodded again to himself and stood. Draco's hand jerked in Harry's and the darker boy began to rub his thumb in small circles on the back of Draco's hand.

Dumbledore smiled in a slightly absent minded way, his eyes seemed somewhat glazed over and when he spoke he seemed far away, "Well I must be getting back to proper business. Mr Malfoy I think it better that you sleep in your own quarters from now on. Your things will be moved to your rightful common room immediately." He smiled his small, tight, not real smile at the boys and the far-awayness seemed to have dissipated a bit. "I can't stop you from seeing each other during the day, but I must tell you if I could I would." He smiled down at them in a way that gave the impression that he thought he was doing them a favour. Draco felt sick to the bottom of his stomach and a quick glance at Harry told him the Gryffindor wasn't holding up much better. Dumbledore walked towards them and as he raised a hand towards Harry's shoulder Draco felt the slightly smaller, but broader hand convulse around his own. Dumbledore looked down at Harry with his hand on his shoulder, "I can't pretend I'm not disappointed in you Harry. I had faith that you would be able to resist such things with ease. Obviously he managed to overpower your defence somehow." He smiled sadly at Harry and Draco wondered vaguely which of the smiles the headmaster had shown in the past few minutes was most disturbing. "I am sure however," the headmaster continued oblivious to the look of horror growing on his favourite pupil's face, "that now you have got this absurd notion out of your system you will be able to resist even more strongly and will triumph despite this inopportune event." As they moved out of the way to allow Dumbledore to leave Draco wasn't sure he was exactly thrilled with being referred to as both an absurd notion and an inopportune event in the same sentence.

As soon as the door closed silently behind the, Draco decided, quite obviously deluded Headmaster, the Slytherin turned to face Harry. The darker boy was just staring at the door, open-mouthed. Draco cupped his face with his free hand and Harry blinked his way back to reality till he was looking at the young man in front of him, "He's insane! Completely and utterly bonkers!" Draco nodded, "Yeah, I know. Look, I'm going to leave here." That seemed to snap Harry out of his daze. "What do you mean leave?" Draco let his hand drop from Harry's face to hold his free hand, "I'm going, I'm sure I can find somewhere else to go." Harry stared at him stupidly, "But it'll be too dangerous!" Suddenly his green eyes widened even further as another thought dawned on him, "You can't leave me here!" Draco smiled brightly, "I didn't know if you'd want to come with me." Harry leaned in and kissed his Slytherin soundly on the lips. Then he drew back and hit Draco's arm, "Of course I'll come along you idiot." Harry let go of Draco's hands and began to throw things into his chest. He looked up to see Draco standing where he left him just watching. "You want me to come with you to get your stuff?" Draco gave him a quizzical look, "Huh?" he said eloquently. Harry rolled his eyes, "Dumbledore said he was having your things sent back down to Slytherin, right?" Draco cussed under his breath, "So he did, interfering old man, " he sighed, "no it's ok I'll go get them myself." Harry stood up from his trunk. "No, I'll come along. I'm finished and I don't want you wandering around alone." Draco flashed him a brilliant smile, "That you damn hero complex kicking in again?" Harry laughed and opened the door, "Look just get going." He slapped Draco's exceptional ass as he walked past and laughed even harder at the affronted look he got from the Slytherin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately none of these characters belong to me, although I do have a plan to change this...but currently they don't. So if they do belong to you, please don't sue me! Thanks!

**Warning: **Male x Male relationship. Don't like. Don't read as always. Um...there's a few character deaths in this chapter. Sorry. But there will be an authors note at the end (just a short one) which relates to this because I'm not sure what to do next but I don't want to give away the death now and all... anyway this has been beta-ed by one person but not my other normal beta as she is currently incommunicado. So! On with the story!

Chapter 7

The journey down to the Slytherin common room didn't take too long even though they were trying to keep their presence unnoticed and so were keeping to the less used corridors. They went out of their way to avoid both the Headmaster's and McGonagall's office. Draco led Harry through the maze of passages in the dungeon to reach the stone wall that served as door to the Slytherin common room. Draco gave a furtive glance towards Harry who rolled his eyes, "I hardly think keeping the password secret matters now. D'you?" Draco shifted uncomfortably, "I guess. But it's so wrong. You're Gryffindor." Harry gaped at the blond who hurriedly placed his hands on the shorter boy's shoulders, "Look I know it shouldn't matter but old habits are hard to break ok?" Harry gave a small frown that he would deny was close to a pout, "Fine." He turned his around to face the opposite way as Draco muttered the password and when he turned back the door had begun to grind it's way open.

As the door slid shut behind them, a voice rang out that made their blood freeze in their veins. "Nephew! How nice you've brought me a present to make up for your treachery!" Bellatrix Lestrange had her wand levelled steadily at the two young men. Her lips twisted into an expression that could probably be loosely described as a smile. She jerked the wand and her voice lost its sickening sweetness, "Toss your wands out." Harry did so and she turned her heavy lidded eyes towards Draco. "You too." Draco stared back at her, determined to show no fear. "I left it in the common room." She gave a short laugh and talked slowly as if she thought he would be better able to understand her that way, "We are in the common room." She gestured wildly with her free hand and her black robes parted to show a dress underneath that was a green almost as dark. Draco shook his head, "No. The Gryffindor common room." The women paused, a few stray wisps of her dark hair had escaped the complicated style at the back of her head and settled gently around her face. Her lips stretched in a tight smile and she blinked slowly, "And what, pray tell, were you doing in the Gryffindor common room, dear nephew?" Draco gave an exaggerated sigh and Harry glanced at him nervously as if willing him not to antagonise her. "Well," Draco affected a thoughtful look, "I'm not really sure." His storm grey eyes met her charcoal ones as he continued, "It could have been when I was making out with Harry on the floor, or it could have been when I was up in his room…" He left the last sentence unfinished as his aunt's eyes flickered erratically between the two young men. Draco watched his aunt carefully; maybe that last bit had been a bit much. He had hoped she would make a mistake and he'd be able to get his wand, which he could just see poking out of his trunk off to one side of the room. Finally her dark eyes settled on Harry and Draco tensed.

Bellatrix's eyes blazed as she addressed Harry, "Unfortunately, you are worth more to me alive and untouched than dead. But I will make a petition to the Dark Lord to be allowed to weave my revenge on your flesh." She smiled unpleasantly and raised her wand with an air of finality. Draco looked at Harry, their eyes met for a second and Draco tried to convey everything he felt and all his plans and the hope that they would both come out of this alive in that one moment. Then his aunt was screeching out the stunning spell and he was diving for his wand. He grabbed his wand and turned in time to see Harry hitting his head on the floor with a crack for the second time in so many days. By the time he had swung his wand and gaze around to face the older woman she had also focused both attention and wand on him.

Draco stood awkwardly while keeping his wand pointed. Bellatrix laughed, "So my dear nephew, you have turned even further from the Dark Lord than I had suspected." She glanced at the prone form of Harry, and affected that sickeningly sweet baby voice, "Oh dear. I do so hope he's ok." She smiled evilly as Draco snarled at her, "He's a lot better than you're going to be, Aunt." She cackled, "Oh my darling, dearest nephew, you've certainly got the Black confidence haven't you? Something my sister did right then." Draco tensed at the mention of his mother and Bellatrix morphed her expression into a warped parody of innocence, "Oh, did you hear what the Dark Lord did to her once you left?" Draco shook his head; he knew he couldn't let her taunt him into making a mistake. Silently he cast a stunning spell but almost as soon as the red jet left his wand it was dissipated. Bellatrix shouted at him, "I taught you Occlumency!" She laughed again, "Did you really think you could hide your intentions from me?"

She silently flung a curse at him and Draco furiously tried to deflect it without success. At the last moment he pitched himself to one side, not sure what awful curses his aunt would know. It would have been a strange sight to anyone witnessing the duel, both participants silently hurling curses at each other and either dodging or dispelling those that were aimed at them. Draco was doing more dodging than dispelling and was thanking whichever gods were listening that he had seeker-quick reflexes. However the drain both mentally and physically was beginning to take its toll and he knew he couldn't hold out much longer. He began to murmur the spells under his breath and they seemed to become slightly more powerful, seemed to move that little bit more quickly and an new surge of hope rushed through Draco bringing with it renewed energy. He hurled stunners furiously at the tall woman but frustrating she deflected them all, although she did seem to be having some trouble with the sheer volume of them. Finally, snarling she made a broad sweep with her wand and what seemed like a shockwave rippled through the air, spreading out in a semi-circle from her wand. It dissipated all the spells it came into contact with and when it reached Draco it passed through him like a ghostly knife and brought him to his knees with a cry.

Bellatrix stood over him with a cold expression. She gestured almost casually with her wand, "Crucio." Draco's back bowed with the agonizing pain and his head hit the floor but the pain from that was nothing compared to the spell wracking his body. When the spell stopped it took him a good few seconds to realise. He opened his eyes, not having realised he had closed them, and looked up into the dead eyes of his aunt. She smiled crookedly at him and bent closer so he could hear her better, "I'm going to keep you both alive." She laughed at the shock that appeared on his face. "Don't think you're escaping your fate, nephew. I'm going to keep you alive so I can make you watch him," she jerked her head at Harry's still unmoving form, "at our Lord's mercy. Maybe that will teach you the error of your ways." There was a vicious fire burning in her eyes, "If our Lord is so gracious as to grant me some time with the boy maybe the three of us can have some fun together." She watched Draco's face hungrily for any trace of a reaction. "You'd enjoy that right?" Unsatisfied by his stoic expression she casually crucioed him again, a short burst of almost haphazard power from her wand, as if the spell was as natural to her as blinking. When Draco was back to breathing raggedly on the stone floor she pressed her wand under his chin, tilting his head to look at her. "You think this is pain?" she spun away lost in her own delusional thoughts. Just as Draco had gathered his own thoughts enough to look around for his wand she turned her attention back to him.

"I can perform spells you've never even seen in your most horrible and twisted nightmares!" Her eyes blazed with the twisted passion she had for her topic, "I know hundreds, thousands of ways to inflict glorious pain on my victims. You and Potter would provide me with an excellent opportunity to perfect my techniques. If I bring him Potter my Lord will allow me to make a display of you both, I am sure." She twirled her wand between her fingers and smiled dreamily before she seemed to remember where she was and what she was doing. She pointed the wand back at Draco, "Well do you have nothing to say?" Draco stayed silent, he wasn't sure what to say, and his aunt had obviously descended to levels of insanity that he had not anticipated. She sent a crucio at him again and he had just enough presence of mind to roll out of the way. She frowned and sent the spell flying at him again. This time he rolled to his feet to avoid it. She stamped her foot like a petulant child. "You are spoiling this." Her eyes scanned the room for something she could use against him more effectually, while Draco was looking around desperately for his wand. Draco spied his wand behind one of the sofas. A quick glance at Bellatrix showed her busy with something over the other side of the room, however she kept glancing at him. For some reason the fact she was over there sent a wave of panic through Draco but his mind was still fuzzy from the crucio and all he was sure of was that he needed his wand. As he stumbled across to it he thought he heard his aunt mutter something.

He turned to face his aunt with the length of Hawthorn clasped triumphantly in his hand only to find her clasping something far more important. Harry, rennervated just moments ago Draco realised, was stood a little unsteadily in front of Bellatrix. She had her wand pointed at his head. "Let Harry go." Draco spoke slowly and his voice was low although still shaky from the spells. She was smiling still but her eyes kept darting around as if she was keeping tabs on multiple enemies. She shook her head in mock disappointment, "Nephew, you must learn to accept the consequences of your actions." Her smile was sickly sweet. "If I cannot have my fun with you I must find someone else." Here her smile and tone turned venomous, "And you boyfriend was the only other one here." She spat out the word boyfriend, and emphasized it further by jabbing Harry's head with her wand. Draco lowered his wand slightly, "Look, Aunt Bella?" She jerked her roaming eyes back to Draco when he said her name, he smiled encouragingly, "You can't harm Harry can you? You need to give him to the Dark Lord right?" He nodded slowly and she copied the gesture. Suddenly she jerked her head to a stop and looked at him contemptuously, "I know that, idiot child. But I may still use him to make you comply with my wishes. Crucio."

Harry crumpled and let out a cry of agony. Draco watched Harry fall and the curse was on his lips before the other boy hit the floor. Vaguely Draco reflected that it was true that time slowed down in moments like this. He watched the stream of green light leave the end of his wand. He frowned, strange, it looked like the light was coming back towards him. Too late he saw his aunt, fiercely joyful as she pointed her wand at him, just a second before his spell hit her full in the chest and spread like verdant veins across her body. Too late it occurred to him he should have moved out of the way. Almost too late he remembered to look at Harry. To meet those eyes as vivid as the spell hitting him in the shoulder, those eyes that were wide with horror as they watched Draco spin backwards to lie unmoving on the floor. Harry let out an inhuman noise. Still recovering from the after effects of the crucio curse he pulled himself onto hands and knees and crawled across to Draco. Harry pulled him into his lap and smoothed the platinum stands of hair off of his forehead. The once silvery eyes stared blankly upwards, a dull ashen grey. Something dripped onto his still warm cheek and Harry moved his hand to brush it off with a frown. A drip landed on his hand, it was warm. He lifted his hand to his own cheek, silent tears were running down his face and he hadn't even noticed. He let his hand drop back to clutch the blond to him tighter, trying to somehow force the life back into him just by his proximity.

He felt the presence of someone else through the blanket of sorrow on his mind and senses. When his green eyes scanned the shadowy room frantically they finally rested on a patch of shadow that seemed to be slightly denser than the rest. The patch seemed to move forward and into the light, finally coalescing itself as the figure of the Headmaster. He was smiling. Harry moved without thinking, putting himself in between the man and Draco. Dumbledore continued to smile peacefully, "Well done my boy. I had every faith you would survive." He sat on one of the sofas and glanced casually at Bellatrix's body. "I'm pleasantly surprised she's been taken care of for me." He misunderstood Harry's look of pure terror, "Don't worry my dear boy. I was at the ready to step in once she had disposed of our little problem." He chuckled to himself, "Fortunately my assistance was not required. I guess that boy turned out to have some use after all." He smiled at Harry as if they had just shared a private joke. Harry was just staring at the deranged man in revulsion, "You engineered all this?" Harry could barely contain the fury in his voice. Dumbledore frowned, "Yes of course." The headmaster looked thoughtful, "I didn't plan on you being here though. When I allowed Bellatrix here through the wards," He smiled brightly, "A stroke of genius on my part I must say, I made it look as if there was a small overlooked weakness that she could slip through, anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, I didn't plan on you coming down here with that boy to get his possessions." The headmaster shook his head ruefully, "It is most regretful he put you in so much danger."

There was a fine tremor to Harry's fists, clenched at his sides as he stood up. "He put me in danger? That's what you regret?" His voice was low and dangerous, "I don't think I quite understand what you're saying Professor." Dumbledore was smiling up at him bemusedly, "Harry, my dear boy, I allowed that woman in to the castle to eliminate him. It was obvious you didn't want to reject him. Quite admirable really, but I really did need him gone. When I brought you here I assumed you would befriend him and be able to get the secrets of the Death Eaters out of him." Harry couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, he was still reeling from the fact he had just seen Draco killed in front of him and now he was finding out the man he had thought of as some kind of grandfather figure had engineered the whole thing. Dumbledore continued with his speech on how he had saved Harry from corruption and how lucky he was that the "Unfortunate obstacle" as he kept referring to Draco had been removed. Harry was unsure what exactly he should do when some of Dumbledore's ranting got through to him, "You never really liked the Malfoy boy anyway did you?" Harry took a step forward and Dumbledore looked mildly alarmed, appearing to take in for the first time that Harry wasn't exactly happy at the moment. "Actually, sir," Harry managed to make the word him sir seem like a curse, "I liked him a lot, and I don't think the ministry will take kindly to you allowing a Death Eater into the school to kill a student."

The smile instantly disappeared from the old man's face, "Now, Harry. I don't think there's any need to tell them. This has all worked out for the best after all." Harry inched around the sofa Dumbledore was sitting on to get to Bellatrix's body; she had still had his wand when she had died. There was a long low coffee table strewn with random books Draco must have brought down from the library before he moved up into Gryffindor between him and the woman's body. He began to edge between it and Dumbledore, "I really don't think everything has worked out for the best. My boyfriend," Dumbledore flinched at the word, "is dead. You killed him." Harry was almost half way down the table, just past the headmaster when the older man drew himself to his impressive height and pointed his wand at Harry. "I can see I have judged you all wrong." He said coldly. Harry realised he'd never get to his wand in time. Not that it would be much use against Dumbledore, kind of like using a toothpick to fight someone with a sword. Harry did the only thing he didn't think Dumbledore would expect. He lunged at him. The old man managed to stay on his feet as Harry tried to knock him over, however Harry did manage to knock the wand out of his hand. It clattered to the floor and rolled away under the sofa. Dumbledore pushed forward on Harry, trying to stay on his feet, unfortunately Harry unbalanced and fell backwards. The coffee table snapped under their weight leaving Harry lying amongst the splinters of wood and scattered books with and angry Headmaster still trying to subdue him.

Dumbledore was fighting to hold Harry's flailing arms still. His blue eyes were surprisingly vicious as if in the absence of magic he had reverted to some feral form. "I can't let you tell the ministry Harry!" he managed to force out between clenched teeth. Harry cast his hand around looking for some kind of weapon as Dumbledore gave up on trying to hold his arms and got hold of his throat, trying to strangle to boy. Harry coughed and choked as his hand closed around a thick volume. He swung it at the Headmaster who was so intent on choking the life from Harry that he didn't notice the heavy book moving towards him. It collided with the side of his head with a dull thud sound and the hands around Harry's neck loosened and finally let go altogether as the Headmaster toppled slowly to one side. Harry scrambled out from the debris of the table and looked down at the book in his hand. Hogwarts: A History now had a slight red smear across its cover and Harry absurdly wondered if Madame Pince would punish him for defacing a library book. He caught a glimpse of silver blond hair out of the corner of his eye and the book dropped from his fingers unnoticed. He made his way over to Draco's body and sank to his knees next to it. He closed paper-thin eyelids over empty silver eyes and laid a gentle kiss on his cool but still supple cheek. Harry felt strangely empty, as if he wasn't quite connected to the world outside his skull. He gave a small sad sigh and stood up. He walked out of the common room and somehow managed to find his way to McGonagall's office. He knocked on the door and she called out, "Come in." He pushed the door open, "Um Professor?" She didn't look up from her papers, "Yes? What is it Potter?" Harry paused trying to find the words, "I think that I may have killed Professor Dumbledore." McGonagall's head shot up, her eyes were wide and her mouth opened and shut several times.

**Author's Note: **Ok...so I killed Draco. I'm sorry. I pretty much have two ending chapters set out in my head but I don't know which one to use really. Either I bend the rules of canon and allow people to be brought back to life, Yay! Happy Ending! OR the rules of magic stay in tact and Draco stays dead, Yay! Angsty Ending! So as the readers do you mind if I break canon (with a reasonable explanation) to bring Draco back? Or do you all wish Harry to suffer prettily? Opinions would be very welcome, if none are forthcoming then I'll post the first one I write. Thanks!

The spell rennervated was apparently changed by JKR. I was under the impression it was Ennervate but according to "The Harry Potter Lexicon"she changed it so there we are :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I don't own anyone/thing/place in the Harry Potter universe. Sniff though this fact makes me sad I console myself by writing these fics, the plot of which is mine:)

**Warning: **This story contains a homosexual relationship, which you should have noticed by now really:)

**Author's Note: **This is it. Last Chapter folks! Sorry it's taken me so long to post but it just wasn't finishing correctly so I've re-written it several times and then several more times! Hopefully this version will complete the story to everyone's satisfaction:) as always please comment and tell me what you think! Especially as this is the last chapter! (Also some shameless self-promotion, go read my other story, please! currently only one chapter in length but no one has reviewed yet :( ) Thanks for sticking with the story and me! Love to all reviewers and to the betas who are now living so far away from me!

Chapter 8

Harry pushed his food around his plate despondently. He could feel Hermione glancing worriedly at Ron over his head but he couldn't really bring himself to care. Unlike previous years the welcome feast held no interest for him and the fact that he had somehow managed to position himself so he could see straight across to the space left at the Slytherin table just made matters worse. So he stared down at his plate and pushed his food around. McGonagall had become Headmistress after Dumbledore's death, the official explanation of which was that Bellatrix had somehow snuck into the castle and hit the old man over the head, and so Professor Flitwick had read out the names of the new students in a sombre manner befitting a school still in mourning for it's headmaster.

The only people who knew the truth of what had happened during the summer were McGonagall, the Minister of Magic and of course Harry himself. The minister had decided, in view of the circumstances, that Harry had acted in self-defence, which was why he was currently not sitting in a cell in Askaban. Unfortunately, he thought, he was sitting in the great hall trying to avoid the questions from his friends. He could sense more than hear the furiously silent conversation going on over his head as Hermione tried to persuade Ron to talk to Harry. As far as they were aware, Harry was so dejected because of the death of the headmaster.

Hermione finally gave up trying to convince Ron to talk and touched Harry's arm lightly. "Harry?" He turned to look in her direction but she noted his eyes didn't quite focus on her. "Harry, do you want to go back to the common room? Ron and I are finished anyway. Aren't we Ron?" The redhead hurriedly swallowed the food he already had in his mouth and placed his full fork back on the plate before replying, "Yep, sure. Finished." Something caught Ron's eye and he frowned at something across the hall. Harry registered the look but his brain was too sluggish to think of something to distract his friend. "Hey, where's the blond git?" Harry sat very carefully still as he looked at the empty space. Hermione turned to look, she frowned. "That is strange. I can't imagine why Malfoy would miss the welcome feast. He's doesn't usually miss a chance to pick on the first years."

Ron gave a snort of derision and picked up his fork again, "He probably went to join his dad as a death eater. I bet he's out torturing muggle borns as we speak." Hermione was watching Harry as Ron was speaking. Harry's previously dead eyes were burning with the first emotion she had seen so far, though she couldn't tell exactly what it was she knew it wasn't friendly. "Er…Ron." Unfortunately the redhead continued oblivious, " C'mon Hermione! It's the most likely explanation isn't it? He not going to be sunning himself on holiday now is he?" Ron paused to consider this idea, "Well he might be I suppose, the git's always talking about some sort of expensive holiday in exotic places. But, nah, I reckon he's joined the death eaters. Like I said, it's the most likely explanation, right, Harry?"

"No." the one word, spoken in such a quiet, emotion filled voice caused Ron to pause. He looked at Harry in surprise. "What, mate?" Harry's eyes were certainly focused now, he was glaring at the other boy with something close to hatred, but lying behind it was a sadness. "No." Harry said again, "that's not what's happened." Hermione looked at him curiously, "You know why he isn't here?" The fire drained out of the dark haired boy's face leaving it pale and drawn. "He was here over the summer too." Ron choked on his food and Hermione let out a small whisper of a gasp. Hermione put a consoling hand on his shoulder, "Oh, Harry. What did he do to you?" Suddenly her face hardened, "Was it him who let his Aunt into the castle?" Harry shook his head vehemently, "No. You have to understand…" Harry trailed off; he wasn't sure how to tell his friends he had fallen for Draco Malfoy only to watch him die in front of him like so many others he had loved.

Both of his friends were looking at him with a mixture of concern and confusion. Harry took a deep breath and began to talk, "The first thing you have to understand is that Draco," Ron stiffened at the first name of the Slytherin falling easily from Harry's lips, but Harry continued regardless, "he wasn't, isn't a bad person. He came to Hogwarts for the summer because he was joining us. I think Voldemort was going to kill he and his mother and his mother sent him here." Harry looked distant for a moment "I don't know what happened to her after he left but we didn't hear anything from her. Anyway," he shook his head to try to organise his thoughts back to where they should be. "Anyway, while he was here we actually got on. We became friends." Ron was looking very unhappy whereas Hermione was very carefully blank. Harry took a deep breath; this was going to be the bombshell, the thing that might break his friendship with Ron.

Hermione he was sure would at least try to understand, Ron however… well only one way to find out. Harry looked up, refusing to duck his head in shame and he noticed a few of the closer Gryffindors had begun to listen in as well. He didn't care really; it was better to say it to as many people now so he didn't have to keep repeating himself. "Actually we were more than friends, a lot more." All the colour had drained from Ron's face. "But Dumbledore killed him in front of me." If possible Ron got paler, Hermione's mouth was hanging slightly open but she didn't seem to have noticed. There was a moment of silence before whispers broke out. They spread outwards from Harry like a ripple and soon the whole of the Gryffindor table was discreetly, or not so in some cases, staring at Harry. The other house tables soon followed suit, even the teachers were looking at him, McGonagall's expression was unreadable.

Harry stood and turned towards the doors, not looking at anyone, intending to leave. He had taken one step towards the doors before he stopped dead in his tracks. The whispered conversations faded into the background, Hermione's worried voice was an insignificant buzz. Harry's world narrowed down to one figure standing just inside the doors to the great hall. A figure that was staring right back at him with eyes like grey pearls. Harry managed to organise his body enough that he took another step forward, then another. Then suddenly he was standing directly in front of his target. He reached out a hand, which was caught in slender pale fingers and pressed against a milk white cheek with a desperate ferocity. Harry's voice was barely a whisper "You died. I watched you die." A beautiful blond head shook slowly then turned to the teacher's table. Harry didn't want to loose the sight of those eyes. Those eyes that had been so empty and lifeless the last time he had seen them. He used the hand on that perfect cheek to turn those stormy eyes back to him. His hand was gripped and pulled from the face but it was ok because he could still see those eyes and anyway his hand was encased in that gorgeous slender one and he was being led through the doors of the hall, leaving the teachers to control the riot that appeared to have broken out behind them.

The doors to the great hall closed with a dull thud and the sudden silence was deafening. Harry jerked his hand out of the grip it was in. Startled grey eyes turned to him questioningly. "You can't be real," Harry's voice was harsh, "Who are you really? Do you think this is funny?" The silken voice that answered caused Harry's breath to catch in his throat, "Harry, it's really me. McGonagall found something in one of _his_ old books." Harry just stared wide-eyed at the vision in front of him, "Draco? Really? Truly?" The blond Slytherin nodded and gave a strangely shy smile, "The one and only." The Gryffindor was a blur of black robes and even blacker hair as he launched himself at his one and only. Kissing him again felt as natural as breathing and Harry felt like he had been suffocating for so long. The lithe body that pressed against him was as familiar as his own and it just felt like everything was again right with the world. The two young men only just managed to make it to Harry's room before both clothes and any lingering inhibitions were stripped away.

Harry was lying with his head pillowed on Draco's firm chest while the blonde twirled a lock of his raven hair between his fingers and Harry lazily traced patterns on Draco's torso. They had been silent for almost ten minutes before Draco broke the silence, "I'm sorry I left you." Harry stilled his fingers and tilted his head to look up at his Slytherin, "Just don't do it again." Harry lowered his head back to where it had been and held onto Draco tightly. He closed his eyes with a small smile when Draco wrapped his own pale arms around Harry and held on just as tightly.

Draco wasn't sure why he woke up to begin with but gradually as his eyes adjusted he could make out a figure in black robes standing next to the door to the dormitory. He tensed, very aware of his precious Harry still asleep next to him and of both their wands scattered somewhere between the entrance hall and the dorm. The figure stepped forward into the light from the window, revealing itself to be McGonagall. Draco relaxed somewhat but the tension didn't completely leave him. She knelt near next to the bed so she could speak quietly to Draco without risking Harry waking. "I don't know whether it was right for me to have used that spell to bring you back Mr Malfoy, life and death is not a matter for mortals to trifle with. I don't know if it will bring misfortune to me, or even to you. I don't even know what sacrifice has been made for you to re-enter this world," Her eyes flashed with emotions too complex for Draco to decipher, "and trust me Draco, a great sacrifice has been made. What I do know is that the Wizarding community will have need of Mr Potter, Harry, as a figurehead in the darkness to come. That is why I have risked all to return you to him. Do not cause me to regret my decision."

Draco nodded silently and after a moment in which McGonagall searched his face for some sign of something only she knew about, she too nodded and left. Draco didn't sleep for the rest of the night he just lay staring at the canopy over the bed.

Harry woke early the next morning and snuggled in closer to the warm body next to him. Luxuriating in the return of the blond god he had the fortune to call his boyfriend. Said god tapped him gently on the head and whispered into his ear, "Granger and Weasley are here." Harry refused to open his eyes and snuggled closer, slinging a leg across both of Draco's and pressing himself against the whole length of the blond, "Don't care. They can wait until we've finished." There was a slight clearing of throat form the other side of the room and Harry's eyes snapped open. Draco laughed that rich almost fattening laugh that Harry loved to hear but also meant that Harry was probably suffering just a little. The Slytherin leant in and stage whispered "No, I mean they're here. Now. In this room." Harry turned slowly to see Hermione looking studiously at the ceiling about 6 feet to the right of Harry's bed and Ron…well Ron just looked ill.

20 minutes later, blushes quenched and clothes retrieved, Harry sat with Ron and Hermione of one of the sofas in the common room. Draco had wanted to leave the three friends to talk things out but Harry didn't want the blond to leave his sight, so they had compromised and Draco was reading in the window seat. Ron kept running his hand through his hair nervously, "It's not that he's a bloke Harry, it's just…well it's Malfoy!" Hermione glared at him, "What I mean is it'll take some getting used to, is all." Ron finished off grumpily and sat back on the sofa to show he had said his piece. Hermione gave him an exasperated expression and turned to Harry. She smiled and placed a hand on his arm "Do you really like him that much?" Harry nodded. Hermione stood up, "Well that's that then." Both Ron and Harry watched with startled expressions as she walked across the room towards the window. Draco felt someone next to him and looked up from his book expecting to see Harry but confronted with Hermione instead. She was looking at him and as he followed the line of her arm downward, he realised she held her hand out to him. He set his book aside and reached out to take it slightly bemused. She shook his hand and even Draco had to admit it was a good strong handshake, "Malfoy, I mean Draco, I'd just like to say that I hope you and Harry are very happy together." She smiled and Draco just sat looking shell-shocked. Hermione released his hand and turned as if to walk back towards Harry, then she paused and turned back. "Two small points I'd like to make though." Draco nodded mutely. "I'd prefer it if you would call me Hermione and not Granger, or anything else." She added sternly and Draco had the good grace to blush slightly. He cleared his throat before speaking, "Alright, Hermione. And the other thing?" She opened her mouth to answer but Ron got there before her "If you screw Harry over, we'll hex you into oblivion." Ron walked across the room and held his hand out to Draco like Hermione had done. Draco took it and shook it, still slightly shocked, "Fair enough." was all he managed to organise his mouth to say.

Six weeks had passed and spring was beginning to poke it's head above ground in Hogwarts. The havoc caused within the school by Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy's relationship had lasted longer than anticipated, possibly because of the claims of murder and betrayal that laced through the romance like veins in marble, but finally it was dieing down to it's embers. Only a select few students occasionally caused a scene in a corridor or during dinner, but these were swiftly dealt with by the Headmistress. If the student in question was lucky. If they were unlucky they found themselves plagued with unfortunate mishaps whenever a sixth year Slytherin or Gryffindor was near by. One particular student in Slytherin, who scrawled exceptionally nasty anti-Potter slogans across the walls in the common room, rounded a corner on his way to potions to find Draco Malfoy standing there with an unpleasant smile on his face and flanked by the ever-faithful Crabbe and Goyle. No other graffiti of that nature has been found since.

Harry and Draco were sitting under a tree by the lake enjoying the first truly warm day of the year so far. Draco was twisting his fingers in Harry's hair, an action that had become habit now, Harry tilted his head back to look at Draco. "I still can't believe you're here with me." Draco glanced down at Harry then back out across the lake, "Believe it, Scarhead." The blond smirked when Harry slapped his arm. Harry looked back up and Draco, "No really, I still can't believe it." Draco stopped looking at the lake now and turned to catch Harry's gaze with his own, "Do you want me to be here with you?" Harry sat up and swivelled so he was looking directly at the blond, "Of course I do! You know that!" Draco smiled his perfect smile and clasped Harry's face between his hands, he looked into emerald eyes as he spoke, "Well then. Shut up and stop thinking so much." Then, not for the first and certainly not for the last time, the Slytherin Prince leaned in to kiss the Boy-Who-Lived gently on the mouth.


End file.
